Dead Mall Tour - Eastern Hills Mall - Williamsville, NY

Recorded January 13, 2024

This video was filmed the day before the last day of the mall's indoor operations, which was January 14, 2024. I will definitely miss the way the mall was as I knew it. As you can see, it was very desolate & does not have the same level of activity that it once had years ago. The mall is scheduled in the future to be completely redeveloped as an outdoor "lifestyle center".

The mall originally opened on November 8, 1971, with Buffalo, NY-based anchor stores AM&A's, Hengerer's, & Jenss, & national chain anchor stores JCPenney, Sears, & Woolworth's. On May 24, 1972, General Cinema opened a movie theater at the mall. In 1981, Hengerer's was converted to Rochester, NY-based Sibley's. In 1987, the mall's food court was built. From its construction in 1971 until the Walden Galleria in Cheektowaga opened in 1989, it was the largest mall in the Buffalo, NY metropolitan area. Sibley's would be converted to Pittsburgh, PA-based Kaufmann's in 1990. In 1994, AM&A's was converted to The Bon-Ton, a store based from York, PA. An expansion to the mall with a Lechmere store near JCPenney was proposed but never went through. Jenss closed in 1997 & Burlington Coat Factory moved into the old Jenss space in 1998. It remained until it closed in 2003. Dave & Buster's would take over the first floor of the two-level Jenss/Burlington Coat Factory space in 2005. The Kaufmann's/Bon-Ton wing of the mall & the food court were also renovated in 2005. Kaufmann's was converted to New York City-based Macy's in 2006. In 2015, Dave & Buster's moved their location to the Walden Galleria, & has been occupied by another arcade & various restaurants in subsequent years. Macy's closed April 2016. The Bon-Ton, along with all of its other stores, closed in August 2018 & is now occupied by a Raymour & Flanigan on its first floor that opened in 2019. Sears closed in December 2018 & has since been subdivided into various other establishments. JCPenney, as of June 2024, is the only remaining anchor store at the mall.

RIP Eastern Hills Mall: 1971-2024